Apple Limiting Alternative App Stores and Payments to EU Due to Malware, Fraud and Scam Risks

[ender78]

What Apple does — whole idea of taxing everything (like Spotify or indie devs) with up to 30%, while neither customers nor service providers are ok with paying that — is called fraud.

No court has called it that. Fraud is a prosecutable crime in most countries. No one has proven in court that charging fees is fraud. Taxes are only levied by governments are regulatory bodies, which Apple is not. The "Apple Tax" is a figure of speech and not a real "TAX".

And get your facts straight, most Indie Devs pay 15%.

 

[ender78]

Groceries are sold in competitive markets.
The grocery store will set their mark-up according to market conditions - not unilaterally impose it on suppliers.

Have you sold to Walmart ? This is exactly the power that large corporations have. Want to sell here, I want it at a better price !

 

[AppliedMicro]

Have you sold to Walmart ? This is exactly the power that large corporations have. Want to sell here, I want it at a better price !

Well, maybe Walmart should then be regulated too?

A quick googling puts their market share at about 25% (a quarter) of the U.S. grocery market. That's a far cry from the de facto duopoly that are Android/Play Store and iOS/App Store.

 

[makitango]

In 2022 alone this resulted in 428,000 Developer accounts blocked by Apple

App Store stopped more than $2 billion in fraudulent transactions in 2022

Believe what you like but if even 20 % of this was true, this means that 100K tried in 2022 alone and got caught.

That already is a sign that something has been invited in. If transactions were the topic, those apps were already on end user devices. $2 bn in damages was invited in and had to be blocked after or during it occured.

I ask you again: Where was the reviewer?

 

[Shirasaki]

Time to first iOS major malware/ransomware attack in EU... .02 seconds after 17.4 goes live.

Note to app developers: I *WILL NOT* download and install apps from other app stores. Offer it in Apple's mostly trustworthy App Store or I won't use it.

Sure, missing single download won’t hurt any but the freshest developers. Have a good day.

 

[Shirasaki]

I ask you again: Where was the reviewer?

Let me Wildly take a guess. Maybe Apple fired most of them?

 

[Shirasaki]

It’s quite clear that for some people, it’s always going to be Apple’s fault.

Apple doesn’t allow alternative operating systems to be installed on customer devices. So obviously Apple will be the one to blame when system has issues.

 

[aParkerMusic]

Apple explains why alternative app stores, alternative payment options, and other updates are being limited to the EU. Apple claims that these changes are introducing notable risks for users and developers, introducing "new avenues for malware, fraud and scams, illicit and harmful content, and other privacy and security threats."

They are lying. We all know that they do it in EU only because only EU demanded them to allow alternative app stores and other countries did not (not yet).

This is not a very good response to the line you quoted. They’re not disputing that they’re doing it because they’ve been forced to by the EU. They’re saying its limited to the EU because, with the increased risk, they don’t want to expand the policy beyond those borders.

Blind cynicism toward Apple really causes people to miss things.

 

[Ray@12]

The problem with this statement here is that none of that is based in reality and since every other platform has always worked this exact same way we know that this isn't the case. When Steam has issues, people don't complain to Microsoft they didn't get a refund, when an app installer fails on Android, people don't complain to Google that it doesn't work. This is just nonsense and you repeating talking points...

NO PROBLEM WITH THIS STATEMENT. First you can’t compare videos games to this. Second people get scammed EVERYDAY. Without security it’s as easy as a kid installing a malicious app that gains access to photo library, screen recording, profiles accidentally being installed. To then people blaming Apple for everything instead of taking accountability

 

[Ray@12]

Apple doesn’t allow alternative operating systems to be installed on customer devices. So obviously Apple will be the one to blame when system has issues.

Doesn’t that mean then people are to blame for making poor decisions to install malicious apps and install unwanted profiles on accident? Call it how it is & blame how dumb people are.

 

[Shirasaki]

Doesn’t that mean then people are to blame for making poor decisions to install malicious apps and install unwanted profiles on accident? Call it how it same & blame how dumb people are.

Yes, they are to blame because they are not vigilant, unless they can be proven otherwise.

 

[Ray@12]

Apple excuse bag:

We are doing this : a) to protect our dear users b) for the children c) to save the environment d) because courage

Anytime I hear these things I know we the consumers are being screwed

Don’t be do that. You know well even companies get hacked so easily nowadays. GTA 6 literally just got leaked. Imagine all the spoof apps that would easily install a profile on your device & now that profile pretty much has access to everything. That’s just a minor example of the possibilities.

 

[Ray@12]

Since I can’t write an infinite list, just one. iPhones have one feature to allow parents to approve purchases of their children in the App Store. Now, the kid downloads Steam with his parents’ permission (regardless of any full-screen warning). They introduce their payment data, and at this point, almost no one will be thinking whether this payment control works here or not. Then, the kid spends $99, and the angry parents come to Apple complaining because their promoted feature didn’t work.
Maybe some people will think this is a very creative story, but let it rest for 30 secs, because it’s one of the easiest things that can happen.

EXACTLY PERFECT EXAMPLE

 

[maxoakland]

That's an obvious lie. They show it when they created exhorbitant fees to try to kill other app stores

 

[subjonas]

Apple explains why alternative app stores, alternative payment options, and other updates are being limited to the EU. Apple claims that these changes are introducing notable risks for users and developers, introducing "new avenues for malware, fraud and scams, illicit and harmful content, and other privacy and security threats."

They are lying. We all know that they do it in EU only because only EU demanded them to allow alternative app stores and other countries did not (not yet).

No, they’re not lying. You read it wrong. Apple is opening those things up in the EU because they are legally required, but as it says, they are LIMITING it to the EU because of the aforementioned reasons.

 

[germinator]

What B.S. The only reason is that the EU forced them to.

 

[1madman1]

So... now I just need to figure out how to spoof that my phone is in the EU....

 

[t0rqx]

As of the current App Store is not exposing this risks to users anyway?

 

[svish]

Apple will offer these outside EU only if they are forced to do so.

 

[Motorola68000]

The EU and other governments are not interested in protecting customers, their only interest is and has been for some time, trying to ensure there will be a back door into all systems. Whether it means using the excuse of child porn, competitive practices make no mistake it is not about protecting anyone except themselves.

Amazing how those who don't innovate and don't produce anything except burgeoning bureaucracy wish to create rules for those that do, that will weaken customer security....which is precisely what their aim has been and continues to be.

 

[killhippie]

Well at least I can get Firefox and ublock origin hopefully instead of Safari on my iPad and iPhone but tbh the iPhone is not better than a top tier Android phone now in the EU so why pay the premium to get a rubbish AI and have a huge lack of useful features, when the Pixel 8 has actual AI call screening baked in which is better than a journal. iPhones will loose their second hand value because they are actually no safer than any other phone out there, it was the walled garden all the time that propped up the iPhone.

This feels like a episode of Scooby Doo when at the end they unmask the villain, in this case iOS is no better than Android at protecting you it seems Apple is the villain because they kinda made it out to be iOS that was superior, and it sounds like it isnt sadly. Its just like any other phone and open to the same risks like a Mac unless you hide behind Tims garden wall. Seems like they need better security baked into iOS itself not rely on a feature to keep it safe thats not part of the handset but is a service.

 

[makitango]

So... now I just need to figure out how to spoof that my phone is in the EU....

Not possible. Your phone will be checked for the existence of an EAN and a country model code that matches an EU nation to determine which iOS you get.

 

[Andy Roberts]

If iOS security breaks down due to this, that really is just Apples fault and would indicate some serious security issues that they just didn't bother to fix. That *would* in fact imply iOS is rotten to the core.

Not to mention that Apple regularly has to kick out scams and other fraudulent apps from the App Store, so there is that too.

This! Right there is the crux. Apart from the sheer greed. I have been sideloading apps for 15 years on Android and have never had *a single virus*. I check periodically with virus checkers (something Apple doesn't allow in the App Store). I always use trusted sources like XDA, F-Droid and Apkmirror. And I *always* look at permissions. If the app doesn't require the permissions, I don't install it. It's my phone. Treat me like an adult. Over time Google has hardened their security like granular permissions and running a security scan on sideloaded apps.

Apple simply has to do the same. I mean it's their North Star </s>.

And if someone is stupid enough to pirate apps that they can't pay a few dollars for, they deserve the malware they get on their phone.

Just to give you an idea of some of the apps I sideload
Old apps that I live and still work fine, but aren't a available in the app store.
Apps that root the phone. Don't do this anymore.
Apps that Google will not allow on the Play Store (because Greed) like AdGuard and STube which strips ads.
etc.

I understand Apple being miffed about being forced to be less greedy, but I don't get why the Apple simps are out fighting against their interest for a corporate giant. Nobody is forcing you to side load apps. If you don't need to or want to, just use the App store. It doesn't affect you. Yet. However if this proves to be a huge hit, then some app developers will simply drop the app from the App Store and sell it in an alternate store. And guess what? Capitalism will ensure that a thriving alternative App Store will get created. At that point, you can then sit on your principals. As of now, drop the faux or otherwise outrage

 

[aleni]

Just give me the god damn emulators and I'll shut up.

 

[Appleman3546]

It is nice for Apple to finally admit that it feels its users outside of the EU cannot decide for themselves whether to take the risk of of downloading third party apps … on iOS. Weird that they allow us to do it on the more expensive Macs though?